What is Fiber Optic Cables in Networking || Transmission Media ||

                        Fiber Optic Cable

#Summary - In this blog we will learn about what is Fiber Optic cable, Categories of Fiber Cable, Connectors and advantages & disadvantages of Fiber Cables.

#Fiber Optic Cables -

*A Fiber Optic Cable consists of a centre pure (silica) glass core not much wider than a human hair through which light signals pass. It is surrounded by a glass cladding. Sometimes the cladding is surrounded by PVC to increase the cable strength and provide a support for the cladding. This cladding is sometimes surrounded by metal fibers to give extra length to the cable. It is finally surrounded by an outer known as sheath.

In a Fiber Optic cable, the electrical signals are converted into appropriate light signals and transmitted through it. An Emitter sends the signals from one end of the cable and a light sensor senses this signals and then converts into its digital equivalent. there is a Transceiver located at both ends of the cable where the signals are converted from electrical to light signals vice versa. Two sources of lights - Laser and Light are used for fiber optic cable.

#Characteristics of Fiber Optic Cable -

• Max Segment Length - 2 km - 100 km
• Bandwidth - 100 Mbps - 1 gbps
• Connector type - ST, SC, SMA, MIC
• Cost - More Expensive of all types of cables
• Interference Protection - Best amongst all types of cables

#Connectors for Fiber Optic Cables - A connector is a mechanical device that is attached to the fiber optic cable or the light source. The primary types of connectors used with these cables are as follows:

a) Straight Tip (ST) Connector - It was developed by AT & T.A. popular connector used with fiber optic cables and used in gigabit Ethernets or backbone. ST can be used for both single and multi mode fibers. It is easy to insert and remove the connector from the fiber.

 b) Sub Miniature type A (SMA) Connector - Defines a connector that uses two individual connectors for each fiber stand. SMA looks similar to the ST but uses a threaded outer shell.

c) Subscriber/Standard Connector (SC) - A type of low cost connector used in 100 Base-FX fiber optic networks and it can be pushed into the device and can be removed by pulling out.

#Advantages of Fiber Optic Cables -

• Able to carry much more information than other cables
• Covers large distances
• Supports much higher data rates
• Completely immune to crosstalk, EMI and RFI
• Much smaller and lighter in weight
• Unaffected by chemical and atmospheric conditions

#Disadvantages of  Fiber Optic Cables -

• Costly and delicate as compared to copper wires
• More fragile than copper wires and difficult to split
• Fiber Optic wires are difficult to install, connect and repair

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